Laid Bare Read Free Page A

that need that spoke volumes and told her that he hadn’t forgotten about her either.
    “Yes, it’s me,” she returned without regard for the secrets of her people, but knowing that come morning she’d wipe his mind of her no matter how hard it would be. She realized she wanted him to remember her, wanted him to reminisce about their time together after she disappeared beneath the sea, the same way she would think about every moment of this stolen night, when she was locked in a loveless marriage.
    A low tortured noise sounded in his throat and pain haunted his eyes when he asked, “Where have you been?”
    Ella took a tentative step closer, craving so much from this man. “All that matters is that I’m here now.”
    His gaze moved over her face, assessing her. “I’ve been looking for you,” he murmured and she didn’t miss the tremor in his voice, the undeniable need lacing his words when he added, “I’ve been searching for so long now.”
    Desperate to know more—everything—about him, she rushed out, “What’s your name?”
    “Liam. Liam Jackson.”
    “Liam,” Ella repeated thinking it was the most beautiful name she’d ever heard. “I’m Ella.”
    His smile was slow, shaky when he admitted, “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you, Ella.” Just hearing him say her name for the first time and knowing he’d been thinking about her all these years filled her with a new kind of want.
    “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you either,” she admitted honestly and as her body beckoned his touch, she placed her hand on his shoulder in a means to hurry along the intimacy. She wanted him, had needed him for so long now that she didn’t want to waste one more glorious second of the night.
    He stroked her arm and she shivered beneath his touch, the strange bond between them tremendous, even after all this time. “I never had the chance to thank you.”
    Ella smiled, “Seeing you alive and here today is thanks enough.”
    His brows furrowed and conflicting emotions passed over his eyes. “What took you so long to come back?”
    Ella frowned, unsure of what to say. How could she tell him that meeting him like this was forbidden, and that after tonight, after she wiped his memory—something she should have done fifteen years ago, yet couldn’t seem to bring herself to do—he’d never remember her again?
    He stepped back to examine her, his gaze heartily drinking her in. She could tell by the look on his face that he was still shocked to find her standing on his dock.
    “You’re just as beautiful as I remember,” he whispered and everything in the way he studied her promised of something far more intimate. “Except now you’re all grown up.”
    His beauty took her breath away and there was nothing she could do to stop her body from quaking, but she knew she wasn’t just reacting to him physically. Even though it wasn’t logical, and they were from diverse worlds, she wanted this man on a whole different level.
    Her breath grew shallow as she looked at his nakedness. “So are you.”
    He studied her face and suddenly seemed unsure. She could almost hear the wheels spinning as his mind raced with unanswered questions. “That day, that day you saved me, you took off before I had a chance—” She touched her fingertip to his mouth to silence him.
    “Shhh…”
    He closed his mouth, instantly understanding now was not the time for questions.
    Another shiver moved through her and he must have mistaken it for something else. He stepped closer and gathered her into his arms like it was the most natural thing for him to do. Her body molded into his and she felt his blatant need as his cock pressed against her stomach.
    His soft whisper covered her like a blanket and she could sense his trepidation when he asked, “Are you okay?”
    As she looked up at him she feared she’d never be okay again, especially if she followed through with her plan to seduce him. But she’d come too